Cinematograph apparatus



Dec. 4, 1945. A. REDLER 2,390,389

CINEMATOGRAPH APPARATUS Filed oct. 20,1942 l 5 sheets-sheet 1 Dec. 4, 1945. A.fRED| E| A 2,390,389 l CINEMATOGRAPH APPARATUS Filed Oct. 20, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 In few/2f',

l l y @chem A. REDLER- CINEMATOGRAPH APPARATUS Filed Oct. 20, 1942 `5 sheets-sheet s IMX Dee. 4, 1945. A. REDLER 2,390,389

CINEMATOGRAPH lAPPARJWS Filed Oct, 20, 19,42 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 IIIIIIHIIHIIHIIIIUII HHHHHII )bren/bf;

A. REDLER I 2,390,389

CINEMATOGRAPH APPARATUS Filed oct/2p, 1942 5 sheets-sheet 5 Patented Dec. 4, 1945 CIN EMATOGRAPH APPARATUS Arnold Redler, Stroud, England Application October 20, 1942, Serial No. 462,713 In Great Britain October 24, 1941 16 Claims.

The invention has for its object to provide for:

a cine projector (or camera) of otherwise known construction, film feed drive and control mechanism, which will permit the exposure of films or the viewing of pictures or frames, at a variable number per second which is selective at will, the speed of change between successive frames remaining constant at least cine speed irrespective of the period of dwell of each frame between the changes.

To avoid confusion or ambiguity the exposed or projected unit area of the film will be referred to as a frame (as is usual in cinematography); the number of frames exposed or projected per second as the successive frame-speed or frequency; the time taken to change one frame to the next as the film advance or shift speed; and cine speed to mean 16 frames per second.

It has been found that for many subjects, especially those of an architectural or illustrative nature, where little or no movement is apparent or required, it is sufficient when taking the photographs to expose a relatively short length of film, either cinematographically or otherwise, and to project these on a screen as virtual stills, each frame being shown for a longer period than ordinary cine speed, the period being selected according to the subject taken or viewed or the effect desired. f

It will be understood that where a sufficiently strong light is used for efficient projection to cover the larger screen areas, the film can only be exposed to the heat of the light =beam for a short time to avoid buckling or blistering of the film, e. g., not exceeding one second, and it is one of the principal objects of the present invention to utilise this relatively long period of dwell for suitable subjects having little or no movement as aforesaid by taking, for example, a series of photographs, which may be at cine speed in the first place, on a short length of film with the minimum number of frames; which may, when l projected on a screen be spread over a relatively selectively as stills (i. e., at one per second) or cinematographically (i. e., at 16 frames per second) but also, for special or suitable subjectsl (e. g., those with a small or extremely fast movement such as fast running machinery) at a speed intermediate of these. l

Many advantages are gained by apparatus giving the above desirable results, among them being that considerably less film is used for a given time of exposure or projection, and consequently great economy in the total cost thereof is attained as well as greater latitude and adaptability made available for the subject under treatment. Further, the shutter is arranged always to operate at cine speed no matter at what number per second the frames are being shown, thus producing a cine effect when stills are being projected and also obviating any special precautions being required to prevent damage to the film by the heat of the lamp as the period of dwell vis not increased, above the safety period, such precautions having to be provided in known apparatus.

This cine effect given by a constant speed shutter with frames of relatively long period of dwell is of great advantage as a smooth action and even lighting is produced without perceptible change throughout the film at all times.

A further object is to provide means by which the successive frame-speeds or frequency of successive frames may be readily lchanged at will by hand at the apparatus itself or from a distance. .If desired, means` may also be provided in which the film itself controls or operates the change of speed of the film feed.

With the above objects in view and according to this invention, cine camera or projector apparatus having film feed mechanism is characterised by being provided with two continuously driven elements, one controlling the rate or frequency of successive frames (i. e., the number per second) and the other controlling the speed of film -advance or film shifting speed (i. e., the time taken to change one frame to the next) the two elements co-operating in such manner that a part of the movement of the successive frame drive, at speeds less l than eine, is utilised by the film advance drive to advance the film or to permit the film to be advanced at cine speed or more.

In essence, the elements may take the'form of parts that are revolving, the successive frame speed element turning at a definite number of revolutions per second, the frame advance speed element taking up part of each revolution of the first, at a speed which is greater than the successive frame speed and at a predetermined point in a revolution to advance the film correspondingly.

According to further and important features, the speed of the element controlling the rate of successive frames is variable and the' speed of the film advance control is constant, means being provided by which the speed of the rst may be Vselectivelyvaried arid means-'by which the speed of the second may be 'imposed on that of the first at the predetermined point to advance the film at cine speed or more.

Preferably, the two elements are 'mounted v'coaxially on or in relation to, a driven shaft and the variable speed element controllingsuccessive frames comprises a series olxgearsY l(preferably three in number) of different ratios fmounted freely on the driven shaft, each gear in ,perf marient engagement with a complementarygear' ona driving shaft revolvingiat-reonstant speed and fromwhich the cinespeed istaken, means Ebeingy provided vby which -a driven gear may be selectively coupled to Ath'edriven shaft, 'for the :purpose of `changing the/speed thereof. `Each of the driven gears has a pawlland ratchet asso- Kci'ated"therewith through whichathewdrivexto vthe 'ishaft 'is transmitted, ythe ratchet being capable vof overrunning its' gear When `a speed Agreater "than that of the .gearis imposed thereon. The

means by whicha gear visselected and coupled to 'the'shaft preferably comprises aclutchv wmemvber slidably`keyedtliereon and operable byale- "ver or the likeoutside` themachin'ef.

According tofurther.featuressiofithe invention, M

trie ratchets and/or the .clutch 'member .have 'fnearisiforexample a singletooth) .bywhicha fdfini-te relationship is obtained with laliilm advance control mechanism'ljust priorto'the action of the latten-'and ther film advance control' device takesthe form of axe'd camllike'dischaving'la depression kor theV like'inf' itsy periphery which drecides the time and extent of the nlm advance.

Convenientlyfthe cam-disc is' xedtofthe casing 'of the-apparatus `adjacent fa gearl 'driven at the highestspeed the pawl offt'hela'tterihaving'a pin orthe like tl'iereon f-which projects over the cam to engage its edgeinsuch mannerthat when "the pin is inthe-depressiondt will drive thefilm .aidvan'ce'mechanism butwhenV on the4T raised part "of the cam will be'free of the drivin'gfmember.

"In an 'embodiment the driving `member vcomprises Ja ratchet 'orY the like having a 'singleftooth "in definite relationship with "the film advance mechanism which is engaged by the'drivingpa-wl during its "travel along "the depression in vsaid cam.

"Infazspecinc construction, the `selective f'gear "speeds "which 'control the rate 'of successive "frames are lofthe order of'sixteen revolutions (or `framesyper second,.or one revolution (ior'ir'ame) -.Cine..cameraorcprojector apparatus,v according to the invention, is further characterised by beprovided Withireverse driving means which :is identicaLw-ith `tl-ieiorwarddrive vbut in oppositedrivngsense and which., is designedv to au- '.tomatically rcome intooperation when the vmo- .tive,powerfisreversed. :Inthe preferred Qim,

ydrive the plate with the gear. f provided by whichrthe pawls are forcibly freed from the ratchets, and such may consist .of e,

the reverse driving means for the higher gears comprises a second single tooth or the like on the same ratchet as the forward driving tooth and a second pawl mounted on the gear in such relation to the forward pawl that the distance between the engaging noses of the pawls is less than the distance between the two teeth, by this means the ratchet may readily overrun the pawl.

In a preferred example,` the reverse driving means -for the lowest gear comprises -a second ratchet adjacent'the forward ratchet and a rev ersed pawl integral with the forward pawl, the 'duplex pawl being pivotally mounted on said vgearin'suchmanner that on reversing the drive means will operate to lift one pawl out of engagement `While the other is simultaneously put intofengagementwith their respective ratchets, each ratchet having multiple teeth thereon (e. g., at least 16). Said means by which the pawls are put into or out of engagement with .the ratchets vmay comprise a `resilient Aarm @cen- .,trally fixed .between the pawls and fa friction `plate or disc which is in con-tact with a. stationary part of they machine, vthe plate, having a notch in the periphery thereof with whichthe free end of. the arm engagesnthesaid plate being temporarily prevented from turningiaztfthe `initial drive of said gear thereby rocking `the du- .plex pawl about its pivot, 'apin orabutment be.-

ing also provided on'said gear to subsequently Means may bie side projection on each pawl which overlaps-.the

'n :adjacent ratchet and engagesa tooth thereof in :such manner that on oncof `the ratchets bein-g driven reversely (the otherlbeing held Vstat-ion- According :to further important Lfeatures, the `variable speed mechanism iorfsuccessive frames,

placed in sensitive contact with the :film ,and sa zsecondpart `co-operating with retaining Jorire-y l'leasin'g `.means associated with aiclutch Vor'like member suchl that when "1a preselected 4pointzof -the film engages the sensitive part, the .said speed will be quickly changed.

The trigger device' itself'may take the formaof tampi'voted two-armed lever havingonefarm (the first part) adjacent the film at the end of.rwhi`ch is provided a lightspring plungen'the other: arm

(the second part) being remote ffrom thefiilm -and having thereona catchwhich is capable of engaging one of a series vof lnotches in ardiscf'the latter being fixedly mounted von 'the member which operates the 4clutch member, the 'dischold- `ing the clutch in engagement ragainstispring pressure until the' point on 'thefilm (e. g.; a vnotch `in.its'edge) engages the plunger and trips the Atrigger to release the clutch. y

.The lmember in 'the preferred embodiment whichoperates the 'clutch comprises a Vrod having ,a setting lever fixedthereto 'outsidefthe' casing the latter being provided with means by which it may be retained as set yet, when moved, further is free to return when the control from the film operates. The said further movement of the setting lever flexes a spring, the latter being fixedly mounted on the rod and through which the clutch member is put into or out of engagement with the shaft driving gears. The said spring does not act directly on the clutch member but through a yoke-like bar carried at its ends on the free ends of a pair of clutch operating levers mounted freely on the rod, the other end of the levers engaging the clutch, the parts being so arranged that when tre spring is flexed by the lever and then released by the lm trigger device an impulse will be given to quickly release the clutch.

When a reverse drive is incorporated in cine projection apparatus having the above features, it may be desirable to provide film tensioning means to ease the film through the gate, such a film tensioning device in the embodiment in mind is positioned at the other end of tle gate to the film advance mech-anism and this will remain inoperative during the forward running of the film but will be brought into action automatically on reversing the drive. The film tensioning means proposed comprises a vertical plate slidably mounted on the casing by guiding means and has at its upper end a roller positioned within an upper loop of the film, a spring being provided through which the plate and roller are raised into contact w"tl` the film to take up the latter v 'mecbanisin The said spring is carried by a rod freely sliding in a bracket on the slide-plate, the rod having an abutment at its upper end by which it can be raised to compress the spring and thus resiliently lift the roller into contact with the film. The rod has a greater movement tlan the plate to compress the spring still further after contact with the film is made, and so the film is maintained in tension.

The tensioning device is preferably brought into or out of action by the means which control the direction of drive of the motor, and this may comprise a lever on the outside of the apparatus having a second and forked lever inside tle casing fixedly associated therewith such that on i placing the motor lever in the position for reverse drive the second lever will simultaneously be moved in contact with the abutment on the spring pressure rod to permit the film tensioning device to function.

The said second lever also co-operates with means to move the trigger device to a "safety position on reversing the film, and said means comprises a rod having at its upper end a fingerlike projection which is engaged by the second lever at the end of its upward movement to hold the trigger clear of the film.

As will be seen hereinafter the invention as a film feed drive mechanism may be designed as an integral part of cine apparatus or it may be in the form of an attachment which can be applied with suitable adaptation to existing apparatus having different types of film feed operating means. Shock-absorbing means may be provided such as hereinafter described.

A specific embodiment of the invention with several adaptations will now be describedy reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a rear view partly in section of a cine projection apparatus having the features as here- Figure 3 is a detail on an enlarged scale showing automatic reversing mechanism viewed as a section on the line III-III of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a corresponding view to Figure 3 taken on the line IV-IV showing the mechanism which controls the film advance feed;

Figure 5 is a cross-section on the line V-V showingrthe shock absorbing drive for the film sprockets.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view of parts associated with the film tensioning device and is a section taken at the line VI in Figure 1.

Figure 7A is a view of the speed control lever set to neutral; Figure '7B shows the high and intermediate ratio gears also in neutral and Figure 7C the trigger mechanism which is film operated in a position corresponding to Figures 7A and 7B.

Figures 8A, 8B and 8C show similar views respectively, but with the various parts set to show the film at 16 frames per second.

Figures 9A, 9B and 9C show the same parts but with the control lever set to bring the trigger mechanism in a position to contact tbe film and so change the rate of successive frame speed at a pre-selected point of the film.

Figures 10 and 11 show a simplified construction having the principal features of the invention adapted to a known type of film feed mechanism, Figure 10 being an end elevation and Figure 1l a longitudinal section in the line XI-XI of Figure 10.

Figure 12 is a partial end view of the driving and driven shafts with tbe film advance pick-up applied to a second known type of feed mechanism for forward drive only.

Figure 13 shows a third type of known film feed device with the main features of the invention formed as a unit attached to a projector and adapted to drive the feed mechanism in the manner desired.

Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

Referring at first to Figures 1 and 2, which show the various features of the invention integral with or built in a machine, the principal features residing in the variable speed iilm feed drive mechanism between the power unit and the film advance device proper at X. The film advance device X may be of any suitable type as will hereinafter appear, but that illustrated in this example is of known type and comprises two cranks A1 and A2 in geared relationship with one another having thereon respectively a film engaging lever with two prongs A3 and a film advance link A4. In this known type of film feed device the gears are usually in the fixed ratio of 2-1 and the drive is such that the prongs A3 engage the film once at each revolution of the crank A2 while the link A4` owing to its higher gear ratio, advances the lm at the maximum speed at every other revolution of crank A1. It will be appreciated that consequently there are two downward movements of the link A4, one to each of the forward or backward movement of the prongs A3 but only the forward position of the prongs can engage the film to change the frame.

According to this invention, the two cranks are not driven in fixed gear ratio but the speed of the crank A2 is made variable while that of the crank A1 remains unaffected. It will be obvi- .aus that .if .erfenis A2 is .driven :at :afslower speed a longer interval of time will elapse before nicnas .AF-*- are in. a Position. to engage the film; although the crank; .A1 has, in the. meantime. itsnormal. number of. revolutions only :one vvillhe .operative to advance the nlm, ie.,

when the .prongs A? are in` the forward posi- "tionvtoeheaeethe film and thedownward pull of. the link ne hv the. crankfnl coincides therewith.

.The meehenism. herein proposed for varying the sneed of the. Crank A? and therefore thereriod of dwell of the film, or in other words the .number .oisueeessive framesL in a unit of time will .novae described.

The nroieotioniennaratus iny theinan. as reeerels este. lilrn, snreekets. and the like.

are otlsnovvn .construction and need not` be .de-

di Thefapparatus may be hand. driven but referredthatit he eleetrieally driven by a like. motorMeivine a constant Seeed drive, 'Ihefrnotor Mv drives throushreduetien; searing-M1 e. arrivi-nei Shaft l Whieh earries, at the end remote -Vf-rom themotorfdrive, the

fflrnedvaneeerenk-ni'aforesaid'. which revolves,

the 4.coi-fr,telsplondingf end of which is secured the lm engaging cranl A?.

the drivin-g l shaft are secured -threedriving gears; a'fastj speed; gearrla, an intermediate the film advance if an exact agreement with the successive trarnespeed is required, es will be uh- .dorstoody hereinafter A sliding douhlerended elutehrnemher 3. :keyed to the shaft 2 is provided betweenY the gears 2a and 2D, either of whic-h4 maybe coupled to the shaft 2 by movement of the lever L1 (seeFig. 7A) to; the ,rig-ht or left of the` central neutral` position, The lever-L1 ismoun-ted on a rod- R- which extends across the. casing C of' the machine and the.y rod alsov carries a pair of levers. R1 having `rollers 13.? whichy engage. an annulargroove R3 yin the clutch member 3-. Igf the lever-L1 is moved to the right (as in Eig.. 8A) the gear-2ay will drive the shaft Zyand'crank A?. a-t half the` Speed of `the drivingshafft l, i. e., 136 B.. E. S.; consequent- A1y .the prongs A3V will advance the -lrvnl (through crank A1 and link` A4) at that number of frames per second; The gear 2a isshown, so engaged in' Fig. 8B.

Nilhen-r the lever L1 is moved to the left to envgagethe gear ljb, the shaft 2-revolves at 8B. P. S. andA therefore` the film is advanced at 8 fra-mes per secondalso.

As` will be seen in Figure 1, the. gears-2a, 2b do not. engage the shaftt directly but through ratchets-.ll1 and 5v respectively. The ratchet 4 is keyed, to the shaft 2 and is driven fromgear 2a `by aforward drive pawl 4a pivoted thereon when the. clutch member 3f isr clutched in. Similarly the ratchet 5 is driven by a forward pawl 5a mounted on the gear 2b when the clutch member 3: engages the ratchet 5. Each of the ratchets '4; 5 is'provided` with one forward tooth only and the. clutch member 3- can only engage at predeterminedrpoints in the circumference. of each enbrought into llnezin relation tothe shaftand the ylllrn Afeed mechanism at. every revolution. Afur.-

ther Vand important reason for this registration will appear later.

Referring now to the-drive of the gear 2c,v,this

differs fromI the two just described as it has further functionsto perform. Itfwill be seen on reference to Fig. 1 that the gearZc is carried .on

va sleeve 'l clamped to. the side plated?.l of the casing bya nut la and ashoulder 1b, the. lat.- ter within they casing. At. the inner-endrof the ysleeve -l is Vabearing plate lo Yfixed .thereto and adjacent the gear 2o but bearing. on. a small shoul- .oler on the-sleeve 1 is a spring washer 1d.. Be.-

tweenthe plate le and washer. ld. is positioned a circular friction plate 8 having in 4its periphery two notches` .8.o and. 8b .respectively see, Fig..3 .'lhe .no-teh. 8b is. engaged. by a nin. ze. on the. gear 2.o.A ,A short leaf. snringarm tais. seouredto. the

.navvl .6a and` proieotsdownwardlv therefrom.. its

.end being withinY the notoha.

The action, which is to brinethe pawlintoeheasement. with. its... ratehehis as follovvsro When. thesear 2c. is driving in the. forward direction. (the direction of. the. arrow- WinFig. 3.) the. plate. 8 isheld back by the frietionbetween the washer ld and, stationary abutment 1c untiltheninlc .strikes the end of slot 8b. The pin then takes. up, the drive, This small movement of the plate 8 swings the spring-arm 6e to one Side (the left in Eig. 3) and constrains the paw] .5.6.1. .into engagement with the ratchet 6 and vso drives theshaft 2. 11.1 theA forward direction at one R. P. S. If the gears 2a and` 2b are free of the shaft (i. e., declutched) the lm will be aclvanced kone frame per second thus giving the longest period of dwell permissible between the frames.

' If one of the gears 2a or 2bA is in mesh the spring-arm Se will permit the overrurlning ofthe ratchet 5 by allowingA therpawla to lift clcario'f the teeth but the pawl will immediatelyre-engage to drive when the ratchet 6 ceases to be driven at a greaterspeed than that of the gear 2c. i

Up to this point it will` be realisedI that when the motor is switched on and the clutch 3. is in neutral,V the lm will at once be driven intermittently at onerframe per second", or if' one or other of the gears 2a or 2b be engaged by thei clutch, the speed ofthe lm willbe at the-rateof 8 or 16` frames per second', thus the film can. be shown selectively at cine speed or the rlowest speed with safetyor at a speedv intermediate ofthese.

I now come to an important feature of* the invention, namely, the means'by-whichthe film is advanced at cine speed (or more)l irrespective of the speed: of' successive frames.

'It will be understood that to get smooth and regular running of the film the feedyspeed factors must take place. ina unit of; tri-me- '(e.; g., one second) also, when the shaft 2: is running at less than eine speed the lm advance'drive-must be imposedv on the successive frame. speedf (at-not less than 1'5 frames perA second) to obtain the necessary quick change of'- frame.

To do this Ihave evolved a moreV sim-ple and effectivemethod than thatY heretofore proposed. It is as follows:A

Concentric with; the; shaft 2- and `between `the side casing C2 and theratchetd is positioned a ldisc 9, seen on an enlarged'scale in llig..` 4. This disc is flxedto the casing by pinsel] andhason its periphery a depression 9h extendintherearound7 for.I about' 2f. quarter; ofv its circumference.

On the pawl 4a is an extension or pin 4b which overlaps the disc 9 and rides on the periphery thereof.

Assuming the gear 2a to be clutched in, it will be seen on reference to Fig. 4 that as the gear turns clockwise at cine speed the pawl-pin 4b will, at the point P1, drop down into the depression 9a and, owing to the registering of the ratchets aforesaid, will engage the tooth on ratchet 4, as shown. It lwill therefore tend to drive the shaft 2 at cine speed also. When the pin 4a reaches the point P2 the pawl will be raised from the ratchet. But as the gear 2a is driving, the Shaft is being driven at cine speed through the clutch member 3 so by the time the tooth of the ratchet reaches the point P1 again the pawl 4a has simultaneously reached that point also. There is consequently one advance of the film at every revolution at cine speed, i. e., 16 per second, but as the gear, pawl and shaft are all turning at the same speed, the cam 9 in this case is inoperative, and the pawl slides idly over the cam. Now assuming the clutch 3 to be engaged with the gear 2b: the shaft 2 is being driven at 8 R. P. S., that is, the tooth on the ratchet 4 takes twice as long to reach the point P1, but the pawl 4a isrevolving at twice this speed as it is being freely driven through gear 2a; when therefore it first reaches the point Pl the tooth is not in position to be engaged; the pawl therefore travels on the edge of the ratchet (the tooth being then on the opposite side of the diameter) and it is only on the second revolution of the gear 2a that the ratchet tooth and the pawl 4a again coincide. When this happens the prongs A3 of the film feed mechanism are about to engage the lrn, the parts having been registered as aforesaid. During the travel of the pawl 4a from point P1 to P2, the prongs fully engage the film and through link A4 the lm is advanced at maximum speed. Although the crank A1 is, in this type of film feed mechanism, running at twice the speed of the crank A2 the film cannot be engaged by the prongs unless it is in the forward position. When the gear 2a is clutched to the shaft this engagement takes place at every revolution (16 P. S.) but When the gear 2b is clutched in, the engagement takes place at every other revolution (or 1 in 2) and the film is advanced at 8 frames per second instead of 16 resulting in double the period of dwell for each frame.

Similarly with the gear 2c the gear will drive the shaft 2 at one rev. per sec. through its pawl 6a and ratchet 6. The ratchet 4 being keyed to the shaft 2 also revolves at the same speed. The fast gear 2a is always revolving and when the pawl 4a thereon and the tooth on 4 coincide, the gear 2a picks up the drive and the film will be advanced. As the gear 2a makes 16 revolutions while the ratchet 4 is making one R. P. S., the'two will not again coincide until almost the lapse of one second when the pin 4a drops in the depression Ba picks up the ratchet 4 and drives the shaft round at cine speed while the pin travels along the depression 9a. In the meantime, the prongs A3 are in the forward position to engage and the link A'1l to advance the film. As this'takes place only once every second the period of dwell for each frame is therefore of one second duration which is the maximum time permissible under present conditions to expose the film to the heat of the lamp without damage thereto.

It will be noticed that all the gears are always in mesh and being driven. When the motor is switched on, with the clutch in neutral, the lowest gear at once drives the shaft at one revolution per second. If a higher gear is clutched in it overruns the lower, as does the film advance drive for a portion of every revolution of the shaft 2.

It may be desired, in some circumstances, to reverse the action of the lm, e. g., to repeat a section for demonstration purposes, or for completely rewinding it. To cater for this an automatic reverse mechanism is provided. Adjacent the ratchet 6 is positioned a second ratchet I0 identical with the rst but with teeth set in the opposite direction. The pawl 6 has integral with it but also in the opposite sense a further pawl Illa.

When the motor M is reversed, the direction of f drive being as the arrow Y in Fig. 3, the friction plate 8 is held back by the spring Washer 'ld (as in th'e forward drive but reversed in direction) the gear 2c continues to revolve until the pin 2e contacts with the other end of the slot 8b, at the same time the spring-arm 6e is swung in the opposite direction (to the right in Fig. 3) and the pawl 6a is lifted from the ratchet 6 while the pawl Illa is forced into engagement with the ratchet IIJ which then takes up the drive. The gears 2a and 2b have each a reverse driving pawl indicated at 4c and 5c respectively (Fig. l) and the ratchets 4 and 5 each have a further single notch but reversed in sense. The forward driving pawl 4a is clearly seen engaging the ratchet 4 in Fig. 4 and it will also be noticed that the distance between the leading edges of the pawls 4a and 4c is less than the distance between the notches in the ratchet. This applies also to ratchet 5 and its pawls 5a and 5c, the object being to ensure that the rear pawl cannot engage the ratchet when the drive is reversed until it has made almost a complete revolution. By that time the parts are again in registration to take up the drive from their correct positions in relation to the cam 9. Such relation of pawls to ratchet also allows overrunning of the higher speed when imposed on the lower without fouling the rear pawl of the other ratchet 5.

To obviate any chance of the gears being stalled when a higher speed overruns the lowest, provision is made to immediately and forcibly release the engaging pawl. On reference to Fig. 3 it will be observed that each pawl has thereon a side projection 6b and Ib respectively. Each projection extends over the adjacent ratchet and when a pawl is in engagement with its ratchet as 6a, its extension as 6b rests on the tooth on the fellow ratchet immediately behind the leading nose of the pawl.

Each ratchet has a recess r and r respectively of arcuate form near the shaft 2, as shown, the latter having a feather or key 2f upstanding thereon which extends across the width of both ratchets and within the recesses. One end of each slot bears on each side of the key, a spring 6d or lOd being placed within the recesses which keep the ratchets against the key but pressing in opposite directions and thus the relative positions of the parts are normally maintained.

Should the drive be suddenly reversed and before the automatic reversing means for the pawls of the low speed has had time to set, the ratchets may tend to jam, e. g., ifAone of the gears started to drive in the direction of arrow Y as the parts are in Fig. 3, the ratchet 6 will be held by the pawl Sa- If the ratchet was fixed to the shaft 2 damage might arise or at least the gears would be stalled." It will be seen therefore that as the shaft 2 turns anti-clockwise it will forcibly carry the ratchet l0 with it, the key 2f being at be, compressed .byv the key; in the meantime the projection 6b will ride up the tooth of the ratchet I on which it `rests and so push the pawl 6a out of engagement with the ratchet 6. thespring 6d at once returning the ratchet to itsoriginal relative position.A

It will be appreciated thatthe conditions are identical throughout the driving mechanism for forward or reverse drives.

The ratchets 4f-and 5 are .each provided with a pair .of springs one each side of the key through Which the shaft 2 isdriven, those of 4 being `so indicated at 4d .in Fig. 4,.wh'ilethose of 5 Aco-opcrate with a keyv on the clutch member 3. The springs in the ratchetsabsorb any 'shocks that may4 arisel `when, sudden changes of speed occur; asmooth and easy-action isth'us ensured.

It hasrbeenfoundthatwhile the hand lever L1 canreadily be operated to change the lm .speed from yaflowerrate tot aghigherone; it is not easy toantici-pate the moment of desired change froma highergto a lowerspeed asthe film is travelling toofastefg.. .if .the iilm is being shown at I6- frarnesperseccnd andonlyone second of time isltaken tooperate the speed change 16 frames of' filmfhave passed in the. meantime .and it is practically impossible to judge the -point of desired change-by eyeand `hand along.v without waste of film.. It would therefore .be of greatadvantage if the changeoouldbe controlled from the film itselfgasapoint on .theiilm could be selected in advanoetof; theeactual change. which would allow for thezsrnall time lag unavoidably incurred .before the:` operation. Vis-A completed. The following mechanism-has been. devisedto obtain the desired.

resll'lU The-rod whichcarries .the selecting lever-.L1 and .the41111159;n loperating,arms R1, has adisc II xedlyfmeunted thereon inthe plane. of thelm. Thea-disc II has two notches. in its' peripheryA I la andi lll? and' a .Small niek- I le. Centrally. therebetween. Betweenthelrn E' and -the disc AII is a trigger device I2l which is pivoted nearits centre atJZwte. aeb'raeket 12bV SeeFia .1) on. the adja- Cent. .side G2 effueA machine. The .trigger -Iz-has av-.catch ine Inber4 I2c-,at the endfnearest the disc` andati therme-remote therefrom,` adjacent the filin;,1 a li ht; spring.V plunger I 3,. A; spring |41 under; slightoon-rpressionby a, bracket. or, exten- Sien-1anomaly-:keeps thecateh. I2c in contact with thedisrcyII.v Theiilml is provided with @Smell 'notch F1 in. its. edge nearest the. trigger.

and placed at a selected and suitablepoint in adv. variceofthe desired-change of speed which will provide.. the necessary. period. of; timeAv forythe mechanisrrntooperate before that part of ,the Vfilm togbe; shown rat the slower speedhas reached the.

gate;-

Thenaction ofthe filmcontrol device will be cleanfromthe description which follows:

`Figures 7A", 7B.and '7C show thevarious associatedgpartsin the .posi-tionwheny al1-are neutral.

It will be noticed .tlfiatth-ev plunger I3 .i s,just clear.

of :the .edge of :the film.

In FiguresvA, SBandC, thefleverL?.hasgbeen. movedto the 16V frames per second position; .the .Y

gearleeeneaeed by. theeluteh 3 and although the discv i I I has also been turned ra corresponding,

amount thewplunger I3 .gis .stillclear of. theiilm.

Theifraines: are consequently being. changedat 16 perzSec. as hereinbeioreV described. Should it be desired-ito: change :thea speed automatically. byfthe filmcontroLthe lever VL11; is .moved still .further to. the right forforwarddrivef) as in-Eig 9A.; The.

the end of. its recess r; and the; spring dwill armsRl. do notdirectlyzmovethe clutch member: 3.but :through a shortleafespring. I5 whichisfse-f.-

curedr to a boss which itself is fixed to the. shaft 2 between the two. arms. R1.. The spring1I5fatits outer and free end passes through. a: yoke.member` I5`a connecting the `upper ends :ofthe armsRl. When the. lever L1 is? moved. from the position. in

Fig. 8A tonthat ofQAthis spring. I5isfl'exed as,- shown in Fig. 9B, at the' Sametime the disc-II is turned 1 likewise andy the catchv I2c enters the.

notch I Ia. IhetriggerA I2 then assumesthe hor? izontal position shown in Fig. 9C and 'the-plunger-r I3"lightly contacts with the edge. ofthe lm,. it being slightly pressed backthereby.

' It will beappreciated that thedisc vI I iis tending. to return -to its original position under the. stress.

of the spring I5.

When the notch F1 intheA film engagesthe plunger I3 as the film is travelling downwards,

the plunger enters the notch. and'is thus pulled'y The disc retaining catch- I2c isr atY once withdrawn fromthe notch IIa-, thedisc. swings back and the impulse thus given by the downwards.

released spring I5 to they clutch arms R1 returns theclutch to neutral, the weight of lever L15 assistingy such action. The small nick llc pre. vents overrunningV of the disc and retains the parts onthe rod -R-at rest which are the` positions.

shown in Figs. 7A, 7B and 7C, respectively;

It wi-ll be` readily seenv that the action is-pre` cisely the same, but in the reverse directionas` regards the setting-ofthe lever L1 for 8 frames' per second, the automatic control therefor and* for the clutch members.

On reference to the lever Ll in Fig. 2', it'willf-be seen that the knob I6 thereon has an extension IBa in the form of a small bolt. This bolt IBa may enter any one of three holes ISb inan arcuate plate Itc on the casing; bythis means the lever maybe'positively held in any onel of the three selective positions. When at N; although the clutch is neutral, the -lm is being; advancedv at one frame per second (by gear 2c) when at 8f backwards, difculty may arise with certain types. of feed, mechanismbythe gate, or other parts. tending to retard the nlm by'excessive friction andjthus buckle. or otherwise, damage it; provision .is therefore made to .bring into action al film tensioning device situated at the opposite sideof the gateto the feed mechanism to ease the passage of the nlml therethrough. The device is automatically brought into play on reversing the motor.

yThemechanism provided for this .purpose is.. as.follows: y

Positionedvertically. above.. the speed setting.

lever L1 is a second lever L2. (seeFigs. l.and.2).'.

which ismounted ona rod.I'I.eX tending through.

the casingv and across the machine. 'Ihisleverll2 controls-the motor andmaybe. provided with aA lever or the like Iformanipulating. the4 various..

electrical connections, rheostats for thelamp..y and horizontal; it has a forked end ISa, the purpose of which will be explained later.

Mounted on the casing adjacent the film is a slide-member 2D which carries at its upper end a roller a over which the film passes but normally well clear thereof. Two guide screws 2Gb pass through a slot 23o in the slide 25, the upper end of the slot acting as a. stop for the downward movement of the slide.

At the lower end of the slide 2t is fixed the inwardly projecting bracket Illa, previously referred to. This bracket serves two purposesrstly to carry a tension spring 2l and its compression rod 22 and, secondly, a trigger safety rod 23. The compression rod 22 passes freely through the bracket Na and the spring 2| surrounds the rod between a retaining collar 24 and the bracket Ilia with little or no compression when in the position shown in Fig. 1. A second stop-collar fixed to the rod and resting on the bracket limits its downward movement. At the upper end of the rod 22 is a third lifting-collar 26` adjustable on the rod by a nut 21 or the like.

'I'he lever L2 as shown in Fig. 1, is in the forward drive position. If it be moved to the central or vertical position, the motor is switched off but the fork end 19a is not quite in contact with the collar 25.

To reverse the drive the lever L2 is switched over to the right; this at once reverses the motor through device I8 and at the same time the forked end I9a of arm I9 embraces the rod, contacts with the collar 25, thus drawing up the rod 22. The spring 2| is thereby compressed and through the spring pressure the slide 20 is raised until the roller 20a takes up the loop in the film (as indicated in chain lines in Fig. 2). This happens before the arm I9 has completed its movement, so that further movement thereof compresses the spring somewhat more and thus the film is maintained in tension a sufficient amount to ease its passage while being fed upwards intermittently through the gate.

- On moving the motor lever L2 to 'neutral'or forward drive the slide, of course, immediately returns by gravity to the original inoperative position.

On reversing the drive, the trigger l2 may be in danger of fouling the film; to obviate this the second rod 23 is provided. This rod 23 passes freely through the bracket la and has at its upper end an adjustable finger 23a which extends over the arm I9 (best seen in Figure 6). As the arm I9 is raised it first lifts the slide. 20, the bracket I4a sliding freely up the rod 23 until, near the end of its movement, thearm contacts with the finger 23a thus lifting the catch end of the trigger a small amount. This swings the plunger I3 clear of the lm and the latter can thus travel past it with safety. When the slide 20 again descends the bracket Illa compresses the spring I4 the necessary small amount to return the trigger to its original position in contact with the disc l I.

On again referring to Figure 2, it will be seen that the knob 25 of the motor lever L2 is provided with, in this instance, a spring bolt 25a so that in Whichever of its three positions the lever is placed, it will be held positively by the arcuate plate 25D on the side of the casing.

In projection apparatus as heretofore proposed,y

it has .been necessary to provide special precautions to prevent damage to the film while subjected to the prolonged heat of the lamp when the film is run at a slower than cine speed. This difficulty is very simply overcome in the apparatus herein proposed, namely, by driving the shutter always at a constant and at least cine speed no matter at what speed the film itself is running, the light (and therefore the heating-effect) consequently always remains unchanged. For example, in the embodiment hereinbefore described, the shutter is driven at twice cine speed from shaft l which is being continuously driven direct from the motor. Mounted on the shaft I is a sprocket 26 which, through the chain 21, drives the sprocket 28 o-n the shaft of which the shutter 29 is secured. It will be realised that the shutter will make two revolutions for each change of frame at 16 F. P. S., four revolutions for each change at 8 F. P. S., and thirty-two for each frame at one per second. This not only ensures even lighting (and heating) throughout but gives also a cine eiect when stills or slow motion frames are being shown which enhances the result in a marked degree, at the same time obviating the aforesaid disadvantages.

As the shaft 2 turns intermittently alt various speeds, the film feed sprockets would be subjected to severe shocks at the change of speed if no provision was made to prevent this. Consequently, a shock absorbing device is provided in the driving sprocket 30 on the shaft 2. The device is illustrated in detail by Figure 5, and comprises a hollow sprocket member 30a having integral therewith an inwardly projecting lug 30D extending across the annular space 3Uc within the sprocket. A complementary collar 3l (see Fig. 1) is pinned to the shaft adjacent the member 30a and has a lug Sla thereon which projects into the annular space aforesaid diametrically opposite the lug 30h. Two helical springs 32 are oppositely placed within the space 30e, their ends contacting with the two lugs. Y

It will readily be seen that as the shaft 2 revolves, the drive therefrom is transmitted through the collar 3| and lug 31a, first to a spring 30e in advance of the thrust, thence to the sprocket 30 through lug 30D, Aany sudden shocks being absorbed by the spring 32 to be later expended and so an even drive is maintained. The chain drives from the sprocket 30 to the film-feed sprockets are indicated in Fig, 2 by the references 33 and 34, respectively.

As suggested earlier in this specification, the variable speed drive for successive frames, as herein proposed, and the action of the film advance mechanism thereon imposed, may be adapted to known types of film-feed devices. Three such typical adaptations will now be given by way of example.

Referring to Figures 10 and 11: these illustrate a simplified form of -the invention with the object of providing a cheaper construction in which only the principal features and their advantages are required and which may be more suitable to small or hand driven machines. The example is shown with a modified form of claw mechanism to advance the film, in that, instead of two cranks as in the previous example, a single cam 40 operates the claw or prong member A3. The cam 4D is surrounded by a rectangular yoke 4I, Within which the cam rotates. A pivoted guide block 42 or the like, supports the end remote from the prongs and it will be seen that as the cam turns, the prongs are carried forward towards the film F, enter the perforations therein and are then withdrawn after moving downwards through the required distance `to advance the film one frame. A relatively short arc only of the cams movement is actually employed for the film advance operation, so that, if

thef cam 4'0 .'ismounted on `shaft 2:":as'showngcthis i shortl are. cansloe made to` coincide 'with .the .fasti periodici drive .which is: controlled by the-'xedcam `and lthusthe. lm will .beadvanced :cor-reV` spondinglyfat cinespeed as desired;

In.: the .adaptation .being.:.described; .the film: ad Vance control:V mechanism is. furthenmodied thatV it .isdriverr fromv the `shaft I.b.y'..gearsi43r:. outside the Vcasing C.' Conveniently, the cam disc- 9: is; alsoixed' outside thecasingf C, .ass is theA ratchetll;` andthe co-operating pawl 4a,1.the"lat` ter i being. pivotedtoarelatively large. disey 43d. xecrzto. the .small gear; 43 which isiree .on' thea shaft; the large disclandncamiprovide greaterzpie; ripheral distances-through which the pawl 1can1 act-effectively; The shaft Lin-this example re.

volves .ati eight revolutions..per-second and the advance feedV driving. gear. 43. is'at the .ratioof 2-1 e as ushown; thexlm change will. .then ber at normal .einer speed.. It will v:readily beappreciatedv that as the shaft I is driven ata: slower speedpthan thirty-two@y revolutions 'e per second., the ratios of the;.fvariable speed gears will have to be'modied accordingly to speedup the .shaft 2.to. obtain. .the same :number iof =framesfpersecond as in lthe rst embodiment.

Consequently in thisconstructionthe gears.-2`a;` 2ER-aree of'even ratio` andthe shafti 2 is'driven' thereby at 8 revs. P. S., while the'fgearsdcg. 2c through the .reductionV gears, 2dxgive andrive: of 8,;revsz1- P; S.,. .down toeonevforthea shait;2l

Aismple fformofaclutch is provided by whichv the: gears-437 andpZa, 2b.' may be. coupled. selec-1 tively, tothe-shaft 2: The clutch isfinzthe form otaY .rod G which .may slidey axially inaibofre in the-shaft .2' and.. has thereon two. cross-pins G1- and': G2w which .can engage. alternativelyA inirecesses provided in the small gear 53 or the ratchet Errespectively; As shcwn,. the zrodnxGis. in the neutral: position; vif .moved outwardlylto the .right the :ratchet .5' will be connected to the shaft 2 ifipushed 'inwardly tothe leftpthe. gear- 43ilwilfl` take upg the drive directto thefshaft. It willbe` appreciated 'that the gears 43 are` equivalent to thezgears.- la. andf2a. andwhen these are drivingV theffshaft directly `at cine speed -th'elm advance mechanism' isfalsobeing driven `at this speed thef pawl 4a is therefore out of action.: while-these gearsaredrivingias in the rstembodliifnent:

Should 'the ratchet. 5 be coupledtoI the shaft by clutchmemb er G13' thesgears 211,.. 2btake .up the Y drive at 1.8. frames'. per second but? the gears-435 although disconnectedufromthe shaft; are stilli driving ytlf1e=pawl 4a. ywhich as. soonas `-its' pin 14h enters the depression in the cam 9 imme.difatelyy picks. upy the drive. and advances the i lmatfcine speed/iat the appropriate. timeiand for-the .ree quiredamount. TheI gears Ic, 20er-e alwaysdirivin-g .-so` that if the clutchfis neutral asshown in Fig. 11,I one .frame per secondiisfbeing .shown butl the gears =43 still advances the: nlmxatcinef speed between the dwell' periods. asfio'r. .thefiasterr drive. at 8=persecond during .part of'eachrevoe lution of the shaft'Z:

Itwill bey clear thereforefgt-hat" as- .cam 110i reA volves during vits .film engagingf. movement, it iw l' receive a quick: advance. from. the `ratchet at every revolution if. the speed of shatt'zZ-'islless than sat 16 frames speri second; alsothat: if: thev` shaftis driven-at .16- R..P. Si (by'rgears:lll`th'e.. otherwise overrunning iilm advance.drivelis4fcoi-v incident. .therewith and consequentlyds.` effect outofcaction, the 'two driving elements revolving: as one asV in normal- `cine operationp.

Thesecond adaptation is illustratedftoza .some1 V75.y

what.. enlargedl scale: diagrammaticallyele-Y! mental form by Figure .12',.the film-feed mecha-- nism itself .comprising a :Geneva-stop type ofi intermittent. feed.. The lm feed sprocket liilisA` mounted: on thefslotted cross member 5-I whichis d'rivenistep. byl step by'1 the pin .52 carried fby the# arm. 52o!4 and cross-retaining-disc 5212-,..thefarm-x andfdisc being fixed yon the shaft 2g it beingfun-v derstood that the Variable speed gearsfand asso'n l ciatedldevi'ces. maylbe as either of'the two preanwangle of 90 each time.

cam illA in the previous examples, respectively,l

theresult being that the driving pin-arm 52a-` turns ata .speed` agreeing` with the setting ot-the variable speed gears for the majorp'artlof 1a revolution; then `-if the successive frame speed is' less than cine speed at the point of contactof thepin-52fwith the` cross member 5l,r` they arm is4 quickly turned through the required angle toad?- vance the iilm at cine speed for a distance o-f `-one frame. When the gears I a, 2b are drivin-g direct* all` are being driven at cine speed so the caml Swillithen `be inoperative `as before.

Figure 13 shows somewhat diagrammatically" thethird adaptation vto a knownl type of hlm-feed mechanism; this comprises two cranksin pennanentgeared relationship inthe ratio \oi` 241;

interconnected bythe three links K in such 'mana ner that. as-theI cranks revolve, thembeateris given an intermittent downward thrust which" advances the -lm a distanceequal to one frame:

At a certain point in a revolutionloicran-HAZ1 (about that shown) the two cranks act together tohadvancethe crank A2 for a' quarterof arevo# lution., and-'A1 for vvahalf revolution. Theadvancei can only take place when the parts are in such" agreement, as in'all otherl positionsthe' beater isclear of 'the' *lilm the crank A2 ythus times 'the'VY action'of the partsand it willthereforereadilyV the crank A2 was made .variable the successive vfram'espeed" 'would The presen-t invention canin consequencebe easily adapted to such-'a nlm feed" mechanism:- by adding the-'variablev speed devices beL seen `that. if-the speed of also be variable.

tothe shaftfZa on'which the crank'A2issecur'ed.

Instead .of so doing, however, and'asafurther example.v ofhow the invention 4may-be adapted', thevariable speed gears -and 'lin advance con# trol. .is shownk composed as `a Y uni-t attachedK tov thecasingof-i a eine projector.

The. attachmentcomprises va subsidiary casing securedlto'thecasi-'ngs C1r by screw-s 6l' or the like: -ThetWof-shaft'e I` and 2'-arejourna'lled in the: ends'uofcasi-ng- 61)? the shaft' l' lbeing drivenAv from the motorby fa chainA M1 vat constant 'speed'.`

The 'shaft f2 yhas lon: itfthe variable speedf gear 'de-H vicesand the nime-advance control sub'stanti'al'ly;v as illustrated in Figure l of thei'stembodiment" (but. for. simplicityrl withoutthe reverse`r drive mechanis'ms)- the' disc 9i' in thislcase; o course, beingl xedv "tol 4an end fof 'casirigfbil' .drivev and?. speed fof both will `therefore'- be ide'nl "areeoso tical. By making .the position of the cranks A1 -and A2 when they are about to advance the film coincide with the engagementof the pawl a with Athe ratchet 4 vas the pin 4b enters the depression '9a .in the disc 9, it will .be seen that the film will .be-quickly advanced at the appropriate time and -atthe desired speed. The number of frames advanced per second will be controlled as before yby the :particular gear selected, which correspondingly affects the speed of crank A2 and therefore the interval .of time between the effective thrusts of the beater A3 and the film advance.

To obtain Athe advantages of a shutter driven at constant speed with this attached gear unit, as vherei-nbefore enumerated, a chain 63 is provided which connects the constant speed shaft J direct to the shutter sprocket as Shown.

'The film sprocket drives will befrom shaft 2 or the equivalent in each of the adaptations as 'will-be readily understood.

It will also be appreciated that in the 4subsidiary-examples above described, the reverse drive mechanism; lthe fil-m tensioning mechanism; or

' the film control trigger device; may or may not be -incorporated as found suitable or desirable.l

If desired, ythe speed changing means may be voperated lfrom a distance, instead of at the apparatus -as described, Such means may take the form of a Bowden -wire or pneumatic leads or the like, -a suitable operating device being held in the f hand and manipulated e. g., as remarks are being made about the film being shown. Such an iarrangement may easily be embodied in the construction i-llustra-ted in Fig. l1 by attachment to :the rod G, as will be readily understood.

It will -be appreciated that the ratio and speed figures given herein -as examples are relative only and may be altered as found suitable or desired, also that if a variable speed motor was used the speeds and ratios would be modified accordingly.

It will vbe understood that various modifications lmay be made in the details of the invention provided the main spirit thereof is not departed from.

What I Aclaim is:

-1. 'In cinematograph apparatus, feeding mechanism comprising a feeding member cooperating with the lm, and means for operating the feedl'ing member to vary the frequency of successive vframes while maintaining the rate of shifting from one frame to the next at a sufficiently high lspeed to assure persistency of vision, said operating means including an element driven at a constant rate of speed, a variable speed element, coupling -means between said elements, and means cooperating with said coupling means for increasi-n-g the speed of said variable speed element during the film shifting period of operation.

V2. In cinematograph apparatus, feeding mechanism comprising feeding means cooperating with the4 film, means for operating said feeding 'means at a relatively low frame frequency to cause each frame to dwell for a relatively long time and during a major portion of each cycle of operation while maintaining the speed of shift- 'ing succeeding frames into -operative position at al suiciently high speed to insure persistency of vision, said operating means including a shaft Idriven at a constant rate of speed, a variable -speed shaft, coupling means between said shafts,

and means cooperating with said coupling means for increasing the speed of said variable speed shaft during the nlm shifting portion of each cy- :le of operation.

3. In cinematograph apparatus, film feeding stant rate of speed, a variable speed shaft, cou- .pling means between said shafts, and means c0- operating with said Vcoupling means for increasing the speed of said variable speed shaft during the film shifting portion of each cycle of operation.

4. In cinematograph apparatus, film feeding mechanism comprising a feeding member cooperating with the lm to advance successive frames to a predetermined operating position, means for operating the feeding member including a shaft driven at a constant rate of speed, a variable speed shaft for varying the number of successive frames advanced, coupling means between said shafts, and means cooperating with said coupling means for increasing the speed of said Variable speed shaft at predetermined intervals corresponding to the number of successive frames to effect advance of the film from one frame .to the next at a maximum speed.

5. In cinematograph apparatus, film feeding mechanism comprising a feeding member cooperating with the film, means for operating the feeding member including a shaft driven at a constant rate of speed, a variable speed shaft for varying the frequency of successive frames, coupling means between said shafts, and means cooperating with said coupling means for increasing the speed of said variable speed shaft at predetermined intervals corresponding to the frequency of successive frames to effect shifting of the film from one frame to the next at a constant maximum speed.

6. In cinematograph apparatus, film feeding mechanism comprising a feeding member cooperating with the film, means for driving the feeding member including a continuously rotating shaft, means for reducing the speed of rotation of said shaft to reduce the frequency of successive frames per second, and means for increasing the speed of said shaft at predetermined intervals corresponding to the frequency of successive frames to effect shifting of the film from one frame to the next at a maximum speed.

7. In cinematograph apparatus, film feeding mechanism comprising a feeding member cooperating with the film, means for operating the feeding member including a driving shaft rotated at a constant speed, a continuously driven shaft, and connections between said shafts including means for reducing the speed of rotation of said continuously driven shaft to reduce the frequency of successive frames per second, said connections including means for coupling said shafts to permit an increase in the speed of the continuously driven shaft at a predetermined interval in each revolution of the latter whereby to effect shifting of the film from one frame to the next at a maximum rate during operation at said reduced frequency.

8. In conematograph apparatus, film feeding mechanism comprising a feeding member for effecting intermittent feeding movement of the film, means for operating the feeding member including a driving shaft rotated at a constant speed, a continuously driven shaft, and connections between said shafts to effect rotation of the continuously driven shaft at reduced speeds to reduce the frequency of successive frames, said connections including means for permitting an increase in the speed of the continuously driven shaft during a predetermined part of each cycle of operation corresponding to said reduced frequency whereby to effect shifting of the lm from one frame to the next at a' constant maximum speed. Y

9. In cinematograph apparatus, film feedin mechanism comprising a feeding member for effecting intermittent feeding movement of the film, means for operating the feeding member including a driving shaft rotated at a constant speed, a continuously driven shaft, and connections between said shafts to effect rotation of the continuously driven shaft at reduced speeds to reduce the frequency of successive frames, said connections including means for permitting an .increase in the speed of the continuously driven shaft during a predetermined part of each cycle of operation corresponding to said reduced frequency whereby to effect shifting of the nlm from one frame to the next at a constant maximum speed, a shutter, and driving connections between said drive shaft and the shutter to maintain a constant speed of the latter irrespective of variations in frequency of successive frames per second. 10. In cinematograph apparatus, film feeding mechanism comprising a feeding member cooperating with the lm, means for operating the feeding member including a driving shaft rotated at a constant speed, a driven shaft, connections between said shafts for reducing the speed of rotation of said driven shaft to reduce the frequency of successive frames, said connections including coupling means arranged to permit an increase in the speed of the driven shaft during a predetermined part of each cycle of operation, and a stationary cam cooperating with said coupling means whereby to 'effect shifting of the film from one frame to the next at a constant maximum speed.

11. In cinematograph apparatus, film feeding mechanism comprising a feeding member cooperating with the lm, means for operating the feeding member including a driving shaft rotated at a constant speed, a driven shaft, connections between said shafts for reducing the speed of rotation of said driven shaft to reduce the frequency of successive frames, said connections including coupling means arranged to effect an increase in the speed of said driven shaft, and a stationary cam cooperating with said coupling means arranged to render the latter operative to increase the speed of said driven shaft during the film shifting portion of each cycle of operation whereby to effect shifting of the film from one frame to the next at a constant maximum speed.

12. In cinematograph apparatus, film feeding mechanism for effecting intermittent feeding movement of the film comprising a feeding member, and operating means for said feeding member arranged to vary the frequency of successive frames per second while maintaining the speed of shifting from one frame tothe next at a constant rate, said operating means including a rotating shaft, coupling means arranged to effect an increase in the rotationy of said shaft, and a stationary cam cooperating with said coupling means arranged to render the latter operative during the film shifting portion of each cycle of operation. Y Y

13. In cirieniatograph apparatus, film feeding mechanism comprising a feeding member for effecting intermittent feeding movement of the lm, means for operating the feeding member including a driving shaft rotated at a constant speed, a continuously rotated driven shaft, and connections between said shafts to effect rotation of the continuously rotated driven shaft at varying speeds to vary the frequency of successive frames, said connections including means for permitting an increase in the speed of the continuously rotated driven shaft during the nlm shifting period of operation when being operated at a reduced frequency whereby to effect shifting of the film from one frame to the next at a constant maximum speed.

14. In cinematograph apparatus, film feeding mechanism comprising a feeding member for effecting intermittent feeding movement of the film, means for operating the feeding member including a driving shaft rot-ated at a constant speed, a continuously rotated driven shaft, and connections between said shafts to effect rotation of the continuously rotated driven shaft at varying speeds to vary the frequency of successive frames, said connections including means for permitting an increase in the speed of the continuously rotated driven shaft during the film shifting period of operation when being operated at a reduced frequency whereby to effect shifting of the film from one frame to the next at a constant maximum speed, said connections being operative to effect reversal of the feeding movement upon reversal of rotation of said shafts.

15. In cinematograph apparatus, film feeding mechanism vcomprising a feeding member for effecting intermittent feeding movement of the film, means for operating the feeding member including a driving shaft rotated at a constant speed, a continuously rotated driven shaft, and

connections between said shafts to effect rotation of the continuously rotated driven shaft at varying speeds to vary the frequency of successive frames, said connections including means for permitting an increase in the speed of the continuously rotated driven shaft during the `film shifting period of operation when being operated at a reduced frequency whereby to effect shifting of the lm from one frame to the next at al constant maximum speed, said connections being operative to effect reversal of the feeding movement upon reversal of rotation of said shafts, and means for automatically tensioning the lm during such reverse movement.

16. In cinematograph apparatus, film feeding mechanism comprising ra feeding member for effecting intermittent feeding movement of the film, means for operating the feeding member including a driving shaft rotated at a constant speed, a continuously rotated driven shaft, and

Vconnections between said shafts to effect rotation Vof the continuously rotated driven shaft at varystant maximum speed, and means controlled by the film for varying the frequency of successive frames.

ARNOLD REDLER. 

